Nanodrugs and nanoclaps
Perhaps soon, instead of the usual pharmacy, a "nanoapteka" will appearAnna Shatalova, Radio Liberty
Last week, the Russian Nanotechnology Corporation (RUSNANO) announced its decision to support two promising medical projects: the production of medicines in polymer packaging and the creation of artificial heart valves from new generation materials.
The industrial production of innovative medicines, which has no analogues in the world, will be established in Russia. The peculiarity of the new drugs is in the method of delivery and packaging of their medicinal component, improving the therapeutic effect. The basis of the "medicines of the future" will be phospholipid micelles (bubbles several nanometers in size, consisting of natural fat molecules forming the membranes of living cells). Molecules of medicinal compounds will be embedded in the micelles. Thanks to this form of delivery, the drugs will be able to circulate in the blood for quite a long time.
The uniqueness of the new pharmaceutical project was emphasized by the head. the Laboratory of Nanocarriages of the V.N.Orekhovich Institute of Biomedical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Olga Ipatova:
– From a scientific point of view, the project is original in that a technology for obtaining drugs based on a phospholipid transport nanosystem has been developed. The particles are obtained with a size of less than 30 nanometers, which causes their good digestibility by the body, high bioavailability of penetration into tissues and cells. This transport system is well known to everyone, but science does not stand still: liposomes, which are presented on the pharmaceutical market, have a size in the range of 200-400 nanometers, and here a technology has been applied that allows you to obtain particles with a size of less than 30 nanometers. The list of these drugs will be expanded, and socially significant medicinal substances will be sought out in order to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs and reduce side effects.
According to Olga Ipatova, the method of administration of new drugs will also change:
– So far we have mastered two types: these are intravenous and oral forms. But ahead are transdermal medications, ocular forms, intranasal and so on. That is, a really wide range of drugs is possible here.
The preparation of drugs based on the phospholipid transport system will take place in two stages. The first in the special economic zone in Dubna will be the production of an innovative form of chlorin-e6 (a substance used in the treatment of oncological diseases), as well as anti–inflammatory drugs - indomethacin and prednisolone.
The second series of drugs will include the popular diuretic veroshpiron and drugs that reduce cholesterol production. It is assumed that the moderate price of nanocarriers, which are superior in efficiency to traditional analogues, will make them accessible to the widest segments of the population.
Another project is the launch of mass production of innovative tricuspid heart valves. Modern prosthetic heart valves are divided into two groups: biological, which have one significant drawback – low durability (approximate service life is 10 years), and mechanical – as a rule, they are installed for life, but cause destruction of red blood cells and significant thrombosis, requiring constant intake of anticoagulants.
The new tricuspid heart valve combines the advantages of mechanical and biological valves, is close in its characteristics to natural valves. It provides low resistance to blood flow and reduces the risk of blood clots.
According to Alexander Samkov, CEO of Roscardioinvest, the new valve is the first leading product in cardioengineering:
– We are talking about the fact that now we can, if we bring this product to the market correctly, take that share among mechanical and biological valves, where Americans alone dominate today. That is, Americans, as the absolute leaders of this market, are at least 5 years behind today. They will need about 5 years and $100 million to repeat all this now. And even if they manage to repeat it, no one guarantees them success. This is very important, because you can invest a lot of money, energy and effort, and then, after clinical trials, it suddenly turns out that you are not getting the product. In this sense, the fact that the implantation was successfully performed more than two years ago suggests that everything is fine.
By 2019, it is planned to increase the production of such tricuspid valves from 500 pieces, which are produced today, to more than 40 thousand annually.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru25.01.2010